2017 review - Willie Kirk

Willie Kirk gives his thoughts on 2017, paying testament to the staff at the club, Bristol Sport and the supporters.

Hi everyone,

Firstly, I would just like to wish you a very Happy New Year and I hope that your Christmas was a good one with your loved ones.

2017 has been a fantastic year for the club on and off the pitch. Our performances have highlighted the progression of this project and the fact we can compete with the best teams in England. The infrastructure off the pitch is ever growing also, under the guidance of Kathryn Pacey we have a dedicated, tight-knit team who are all working towards being the best we can be.

The vision at Bristol City Women is to be competitive in the best league in the world, with a squad predominantly made up of home-grown players. Since I arrived at the club in 2015, I have tried to implement that ethos in everything the club does.

The club now train full-time, have a development team and a youth academy structure in place with a clear pathway to first team football and beyond.

Inspiring the young female footballers of the future within the community is something that we fundamentally believe is our responsibility.

Back on the field as the first half of the season concludes, there are signs of promise, with victories over Yeovil and a positive draw with Arsenal we are about where I expected us to be in the league. We also progressed to the quarter-final of the Continental Tyres Cup, which was our aim at the start of the season and we showed real promise in our narrow loss to Manchester City.

The club has achieved its aim of receiving a conditional Tier 1 license with the help of Bristol Sport and this is a solid foundation for us to further progress now.

I think there is still much to come from this young team, it is crucial for the development of the game in this country and the city, that Bristol City Women continue to compete at the highest level and inspire our community to get involved.

I cannot express my thanks enough for your support this year and for joining us on our journey, everyone at the club really appreciates it and we are all looking forward to seeing you in 2018.

The Vixens face Everton on Saturday, January 6th at the Stoke Gifford Stadium. Tickets are available here.